I wasn't sure what to expect from my Botany class. Given what I knew about the school it felt a bit like anything could be waiting for me and I wouldn't be shocked. I'd taken it because it had been a safe option, minimal risk of accidents was my priority. I wasn't sure how important the classes I was taking would be down the line. I hadn't given much thought to what I wanted after I graduated.

Mom didn't talk much about the classes she took during her years here. I wasn't certain about any of them, my best guess was that she'd taken the harder Spellcraft classes. Beyond that, it was complete unknowns.

Part of me wondered if the classes were even the point of being here, with how little Mom talked about it all.

So when I stood in front of an unfamiliar doorway down the hall closest to Sylphid Tower, I wasn't sure what to think.

I gathered my courage with a deep breath and stepped inside.

There weren't any plants on the walls, but there were pillars of gneiss stone carved with excruciating detail to make them look like trees. Leaves made of a silver-like metal rested on branches of polished bronze.

Dad would be impressed by the metalwork.

I was surprised when I found Celica. They'd all shared schedules so I knew she'd be in this one. What surprised me was finding Celica sitting in the back by one of the pillars of stone. It didn't obscure her from my sight, but it would obscure her from the sight of the professor slightly.

It was odd seeing her even try to hide.

I was careful as I walked over to her, trying to not startle her from the oddly intense look on her face.

"Um…hi?" I greeted.

Celica was silent, just staring ahead with that intense scowl on her face. I sat next to her regardless, I wouldn't be hidden like her.

The benefit was being able to see the professor.

They were tall, taller than Celica but shorter than her father had been. Long golden hair, half braided around the top of their head like a crown held in place by small gems. Ears in a slight point with thin silver chains hanging from them. Skin that was a medium tan.

Elf. But not like Celica.

Was that the reason for her strange behavior?

I wasn't going to ask if she didn't want to talk about it. I still wasn't fully sure what exactly the story there was, but her habit of covering her ears was telling.

"If I had known the teacher was a Bright, I wouldn't have taken this class," Celica mumbled.

I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Good morning, everyone. What a wonderful group of students," they greeted as they looked around. I didn't know if they saw Celica, but it felt like they were looking in our direction a little bit longer. "I'm Wisteria Auri'Cran."

Celica looked tense enough to break rocks with her teeth.

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They clasped their hands together, "In this class I wish to share with you all the wonder of the natural world. To experience nature from a different perspective. Plants have a language all their own, and while it can take a lifetime to be perfect, I hope to show it to you."

I was a little familiar with the idea of flowers having meanings, I didn't know them off the top of my head though. Hopefully I wouldn't need to.

Celica relaxed towards the end. Not all the way, but no longer at risk of chipping something.

The professor kept talking, "In the next two weeks, I expect you all will have begun a very special journey. Tell me, who here has heard of Fel'Cardino seeds?"

Silence from the Salamanders and Banshees around us.

The tension in Celica returned full force, a moment where I was sure she was biting her tongue. But she raised her hand slowly.

I wasn't sure how to interpret the looks on both of their faces. But I could already tell it was going to be a long semester in this classroom.

"Miss…?" Professor Auri'Cran called her.

"Fel'Graces," Celica confirmed. "They're seeds that resonate with magic. The plant they grow into change shape and color depending on the magic they're fed."

Uh oh. I could already see the long list of potential problems. But maybe with my recent progress I could scrape by without anyone getting hurt.

I crossed my fingers under the desk.

"All of you will be given seeds and a pot to grow it in, the task will be to nurture and grow it. The only goal is for it to be healthy and alive, the rest is for you to learn."

Taking care of a magical plant. I could do that. It was like when Mom grew herbs on the counter, right?

Celica was still upset even as the pots appeared before us in a burst of pale grey light.

Filled with soil that was dark with a bit of moisture. The outside of the pot wasn't the clay I'd been expecting, it had thin flakes of biotite in a mosaic pattern.

The seeds also appeared in that same moment. They were large, bigger than nectarine pits. I held one up in my hand. The color was pale, like a bleached green.

A strong pulse in my heart and a sharp spike of ice-cold pain hit my left wrist. I could do this. It didn't have to be a big plant, just a live one.

Celica was glaring at her seed as if it had insulted her entire family.

She placed the seed in the center of her pot and clenched her fist tight, her purple gathered around it and made it sink in the dirt like it was quicksand.

I couldn't do that. I moved a small amount of earth with my fingers and placed the seed inside.

"It'll take fifteen days to grow," Celica said as I covered the seed with the displaced earth. It made a pretty unassuming pile.

I wanted to ask if she knew something more, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to risk that land mine.

"Over the next two weeks, you will all need to feed it a small amount of magic each day in class," the professor continued.

Wonderful, I only had a small amount to work with each day. But perhaps this would a good exercise. Build up my stamina a little bit. It couldn't hurt, right? Just had to be careful.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the Banshees turn to give me a look. I remembered her, Melody Geon. We'd worked together for something in Alchemy last semester.

She looked away fairly quickly but it was hard to find the energy to be upset given my record. This exact kind of thing came with certain risks with me.

But small steps.

I took a deep breath. Then another as I focused the warmth into my right hand and hovered it just above the dirt. I could see little wisps of heat rise from my hand. I concentrated on where I wanted it to go and watched the faintest amount of pink fall from my fingers. It reminded me of fresh lava falling into the ocean.

I let it go and a very unsteady breath left me. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. But I kept my eyes open. I could do this.

And nothing exploded, so I'll count that as a win.

(*********)

When we left the classroom I tapped Celica gently on the shoulder.

"Can we talk for a second?" I asked her in a low tone.

Judging from the way she flinched a little, she probably already knew what I wanted to talk about.

She took a side path, not completely isolated but more private.

"Go ahead," she mumbled.

"I won't force you to talk about it if you don't want to. I just want you to know that if you need to rant or talk about something, I promise to listen. Okay?"

She still looked tense, "Okay. If…when I want to talk about it. I'll let you know."

"Good. I won't force you, but I wanted you to know that."

She clenched her fists at her side, "If we talk about it, promise to not mention it to anyone?"

"Of course."

She relaxed at that. It was something. "Thank you, Serafina."

"I'm always here to listen if you need it," I told her. "If we don't look after each other, no one else will. I know you all would do the same for me."

She stilled for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah. We will. Thank you, I mean it."

I smiled back at her. We could get through this. No matter what.

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